1.   A Meat and Livestock Commission survey has drawn attention to the threat posed to water supplies by the dumping or burial of diseased animal carcasses around the countryside.

2.   At a plant in Guntersville that is using an experimental food inspection system, the report found that Gold Kist failed to identify substantial numbers of diseased carcasses.

3.   But officials say people are more likely to become infected by handling a diseased carcass or by eating meat that has been contaminated.

4.   Rendering plants were working at full capacity to reduce the piles of diseased carcasses left on farms, Agriculture Secretary Nick Brown said.